Listening and doing

I decided to flip through my Bible today and see what caught my eye.  I don't do that very often, but sometimes it's kind of cool to see where God takes me.  Well, today my Bible just happened to fall open to James 1:19, the title of which is called "listening and doing."  I love God's timing.  I don't believe that there is such a thing as "coincidence" when the Creator of the universe is orchestrating your life :).  Here I've been having a pity party all weekend for myself because I cannot talk.  I cannot communicate anything at all beyond simple gestures, and it's sooo frustrating.

But God's word says that we should be quick to listen and slow to speak.  That we should be doers, not just sayers.  That the tongue is the most dangerous weapon of all.  So I have to ask myself, as I'm begrudgingly sitting here in silence, forced to hear the conversation of everyone around me and unable to participate in any of it....is it possible that I have forgotten how to listen?  

James 1:19-26

Listening and Doing

 ¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
 ²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.

Human Wisdom

It's amazing to me how right we can think we are sometimes, and how wrong we in reality are.  Today I learned the hard way just how fallacious human wisdom can be. 

As Christians, sometimes it's so easy to get puffed up with pride at how "good" you are.  You go to church every week, you're in a Bible study, you don't drink, you don't do drugs, you don't swear, you do all of the things that you're "supposed" to do.  And sometimes we start to get a "holier-than-thou" mentality.  Most people try to avoid that, but sometimes it can show up even subconsciously or unintentionally. 

I had a situation today where my best-laid intentions were seriously misconstrued.  The worst of it was, because it was something that I wrote, not something that I said, I wasn't even around to set the record straight.  By the time I heard about it, it had blown up in my face.  The biggest irony to me is that what was interpreted was not what was meant in the least.  But human wisdom is fallacious, and sometimes even our best intentions will fall flat.

That's why it's so important to seek His face, to gain His wisdom.  The fact that I hurt so many people - especially unknowingly - kills me.  That's something I'll have to live with for quite a while.  But the good news is that God gives His wisdom generously - all we have to do is ask.

But we also have to be willing to listen.  Despite our best efforts, we will still screw up sometimes.  And when we do, we must be willing to let others tell us that we've screwed up.  Listen to people when they point out your mistakes to you.  Don't be pig-headed and insist on your "right-ness."  People are always watching you, even when you don't realize it, judging your Savior by how He is reflected through you - in your successes AND your failures. 

James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Proverbs 13:10
Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

Proverbs 14:8
Through presumption comes nothing but strife, But with those who receive counsel is wisdom.  

Proverbs 19:20
He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise.

Proverbs 29:11
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, That you may be wise the rest of your days.

Proverbs 29:15
A fool always loses his temper, But a wise man holds it back. 

Practicing what we preach

I grew up in the church. It's the only thing I've ever known. Anybody else looking at my life would think that I'm a squeaky clean goody-two-shoes. I've never done drugs, I don't drink, I don't mess around with boys, I don't cuss, blah blah blah. But sometimes I wonder if that's a good thing or not. Of course I am grateful that I have never had to live with the pain of an addiction, or anything of those other things I mentioned. But I've also never known the exhilarating freedom of being rescued by God from the things that were holding me captive. I've never seen the "other side of the coin," which sometimes makes it difficult to remember how truly great my God is.

It's so easy for born-and-bred Christians to take Christ for granted. They bring their Bibles to church on Sunday mornings, they go to Wednesday night services, they know all the right answers in Sunday school...but their religion is worthless.  God wants us to practice what we preach.  He wants us to live out our faith.  Not just on Sunday mornings, and not just in what we say, but in what we say AND do, every day of the week.  James 1:22 sums it up nicely: "do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says."  I challenge you today: read God's Word.  Know what it says.  And do what it says.

James 1:19-26

 ¹⁹ My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. ²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.  ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
 ²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.